The Drink: Dark Cherry Mocha From Starbucks
Type: Espresso Based Drink
Overall Rating: Four Out Of Five Coffee Mugs
I’ve been craving Dark Cherry Mocha for what seems like forever. I had a feeling that I was going to love it from the minute that I first read about it on the Starbucks Melody site in December. However, back then it was only available at Starbucks overseas. Recently, it became available in the United States. Robb over at Coffee Obsessed picked one up in February at his local Starbucks in Georgia. It was getting closer, but it was a tease because none of my local Starbucks had it until this week. Tonight I was able to give it a shot and it was definitely worth the wait.
On the drive home from Starbucks tonight, my car filled with the aroma and my mouth started to water. The Dark Cherry Mocha has the distinctive chocolate aroma that I love in their Mochas. It’s mixed with a light cherry scent.
The first sip put a smile on my face. It was pure sugary deliciousness. It had the familiar rich, milk chocolate flavor, followed by a wave of sweet cherry. I couldn’t put the drink down.
I loved it, maybe even more than my treasured Peppermint Mocha. I keep going back and forth about which is better, I don’t think I could choose just one. It earns a well above average four out of five on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale.
The Dark Cherry Mocha is like a dessert in a coffee cup. Coffee snobs aren’t going to love it, but if you like the Peppermint Mocha, you’re going to love the Dark Cherry Mocha. It makes for a great after dinner treat.
I have two questions for Starbucks. Why did you make me wait so long? And is it a permanent part of the menu?
Have you tried it? What did you think?
The Drink: Doi Chaang Single Estate Signature
Type: Whole Bean
Overall Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5 Coffee Cups
After my first enjoyable experience with the Peaberry from Doi Chaang Coffee, I couldn’t wait to try the Single Estate Signature, another coffee from the remote northern Thailand village and see if it’s taste was just as good.
Their description had me ready to rip open the bag and brew the coffee right away:
A select combination of our finest beans are roasted in individual batches and then combined to create a full, lively cup. Roasting on different levels produces a complex, yet seamless blend that has a spicy aroma and a full-bodied undertone with distinct floral notes.
I opened up the bag and was greeted with a smokey aroma, it reminded me of an old bar, the next day when the smokey flavor starts to fade into the wood of the walls and counters.
A few minutes later, the coffee was done brewing and I was smelling a sweet and warm aroma. It smelled like a medium to dark roast that was loaded with lots of spices.
However, the medium is missing from the taste. The taste is dominated by a dark roast flavor. There’s a definite spicy flavor around the edges.
It went from dark to extra dark in the after taste. Overall, it was very smooth, except at the very end of the sip where there was a bitter blast, like a punchline.
The heavy weight of the coffee was very noticeable on my tongue, almost like it was weighing it down.
It’s darker than what I normally like, but I have some friends that I’m going to share it with and I have a feeling that they’re really going to enjoy it.
It’s not cheap, $14.99 for a pound, plus $12 shipping (flat rate so you can get as many bags as you want), but if you’re a dark roast fan, I suggest you give this one a shot.
Overall, a solid 3.5, which it puts it well above average.
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Fine Print
